Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township released the following statement ahead of this weekend’s planned demonstrations and protests across the state:

The right to peacefully protest and exercise our First Amendment is a sacred American right — and here in Pennsylvania, we will always protect it. At the same time, we will always remain focused on keeping our communities safe and ensuring all demonstrations remain peaceful. As Governor, I will stand in defense of this constitutional right and work to ensure all Pennsylvanians can exercise it safely and peacefully. 

With demonstrations and protests planned across Pennsylvania this weekend, I want to be very clear: all protests and demonstrations must remain peaceful, lawful, and orderly. Violence is not an answer to any political differences, destruction and chaos are unacceptable — and neither will be permitted here in Pennsylvania.

My Administration is coordinating with the Parker Administration in Philadelphia and local officials and law enforcement all across the Commonwealth to make sure that demonstrations this weekend are lawful and peaceful. Colonel Paris and the Pennsylvania State Police are working closely with local police departments to ensure they have the resources and support they need. Together, we are prepared to keep our communities safe while protecting Pennsylvanians’ fundamental rights – and we will be working around the clock to ensure both the rights of protesters and the wellbeing of our cities and towns are protected.

So long as I am your Governor, I will continue working every day to protect our freedom and keep our communities safe. Here in the Commonwealth William Penn founded on the promise that it would be welcoming to people from all walks of life, we can and must do both.

A “No Kings” protest has been scheduled for Conshohocken for Saturday, June 14 from noon to 3:00pm at 400 Fayette Street. 

On Tuesday, President Trump told reporters that the deployment of the National Guard in California “is the first, perhaps, of many,” according to ABC News.

Shapiro told the Washington Post on Wednesday that he “won’t be afraid to stand up to” the president if he tries to send troops to Pennsylvania. Shapiro also said his administration is working with mayors and local officials across the state to prepare for any “protests that turn from peaceful to violent.”

According to NBC News, some far-left groups have encouraged peaceful protests to turn violent. An excerpt from their coverage yesterday:

It’s part of a far-left online ecosystem that has proliferated in recent years, experts say. Some of the groups behind the accounts express contempt for peaceful resistance and glorify acts of violence — and even murders, like those of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and two Israeli Embassy staffers.

The leftist networks tend to be different from right-wing groups in that they are typically decentralized with no leadership structures. But they can be highly adept at using social media, and some have been working hard to amplify and celebrate the acts of violent protesters in Los Angeles.

In related news, the Associated Press reported today that Shapiro will enter the 2026 election “from a position of strength.”

“He’s turning into a national figure, so he’ll have all the money possible at his disposal to win in 2026,” Bob Salera, a Republican campaign strategist who has worked on campaigns for governor in Pennsylvania, said. “He’s a formidable candidate, for certain, and it’ll take a formidable Republican to beat him.”